Manufacture of pile fabrics



ApziLS, '1952- P. SHAW- MANUFACTURE OF PILE FABRICS Filed Nov. 12, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet l \\\\\\\\\\\x\ w @E I nvenlor 07 M April 8, 1952 P. SHAW 2,592,201

MANUFACTURE OF PILE FABRICS Filed Nov. 12, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 8, 1952 P. SHAW 2,592,201

' MANUFACTURE OF FILE FABRICS I Filed Nov. 12, 1949, 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 April 8, 1952 W MANUFACTURE OF FILE FABRICS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 12. 1949 Patented Apr. 8, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,592,2o1 MANUFACTURE OF PiLE FABRICS Percy Shaw, Boothtown, Halifax, England Application November 12, 1949, Serial No. 126,744 In Great Britain November'15, 1948 8 Claims. (Cl. 154-11) This invention relates to the manufacture of pile fabrics for floor coverings, rugs, mats and upholstery and it consists in locking pile forming yarns, fibres, or filaments hereinafter referred to as yarns, in folded or loop or other formation to a foundation which may be composed of rubber or rubber composition, or a plastic or other substance of a like nature, by supporting the folds or loops in spaced formation or channel forming members into the channels of which a bonding material, substance or composition which may be the same as that of the foundation or one that will adhere thereto or combine therewith or form part thereof is caused to flow through the spaces between the folded or looped yarns and along the channels and interior of the yarn loops and adhere to or become part of the foundation by vulcanization or like thermal treatment or other solidifying process.

One;method of manufacturing the pile fabric in accordance with this invention, consists in winding the pile forming yarns with spaced turns on holders which are made a little longer than the width of the piece and may be H-shaped in cross section.

The holders so wound may be placed in a frame which .may have grooved sides for the ends of the holders to fit into. The spaced turns of yarn wound around one holder may intermesh with the spaces between the turns of yarn in the adjacent holder. When the tray has been filled with the required number of wound ho1ders, they are pressed together so that a closed joint ismade betweenvthe turns of yarn on one holder and the spaces between the turns of yarn on the adjacent holder.

A bonding substance or a backing of uncured rubber or like material is then placed on or under or spread on the coiled yarns and the frame with its contents placed in a vulcanizing press and.

subjected to pressure with the result that a portion of the bonding substance or backing is caused to flow through the spaces and into the interior of the yarn loops, and to become united and vulcanized thereto so bonding the yarn and the bonding substance or backing togethenwith the unexposed looped portions of the pile forming yarns embedded and sandwiched therein. When the vulcanizing process has been completed the frame is removed and the holders taken out either by drawing them in an endwise direction if a looped pile fabric vis-required. or by cutting the loops and lifting the holders out if a cut pile fabric is required.

The foundation may a material or substance thatwill itself enter and fill the channels in the holders during the pressing operation and subsequently solidify into a conditibn suitable for practical purposes without necessarily involving a vulcanizing process.

The folded or loop formation of the pile forming yarns, fibres or filaments may b produced in any othermanner which will permit of their being locked to or embedded in the foundation or secured thereto by bonding composition passing through the spaces between the yarns, into and along the channels and through the folds and combining with or adhering to the foundation.

-In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is an elevation partly, in section, and Fig. 2 a plan of one of the channel forming members.

Fig. 3 is a view. of one of the channel forming members with a pile forming yarn wound round it with the turns of yarn in spaced formation.

- Fig. 4 is a plan View showing a few of the channel forming members with the yarn wound around them with the spaced turns of yarn wound on one channel forming member intermeshing with the spaces between the turns of yarn on the adjacent channel forming member holder.

Fig. 5 is a section showing a few of the channel forming members with the yarn wound around them and pressed together the said members resting on a backing or foundation of uncured rubber. In this view some of themembers are shown by way of example formed with half-round grooves and others with rectangular grooves.

"Fig; 6 is a similar view to Fig. 5 showing the members with their yarn wrappings pressed into the backing with portions of the latter displaced into the grooves. In this View some other different forms of grooves are shown by way of example.

Fig. 7 is a section taken through one only of the members shown in Fig. 6 for the sake of clearness.

. Fig. 8 is a similar view to Fig. 7 with the channel forming member removed. I

Fig. 9 is a similar view showing one complete tuft secured to the backing in the manner described 'with' reference to Figs. '7 and 8, and with the fibres cut and Fig. 10 is'a section of the finished fabric.

Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic view of an outline of a machine in which a fabric constructed in accordance with this invention has been made and Fig. 12 is a section drawn to an enlarged scale of a top and bottom platen showing ,one of the be composed of or contain channel shaped members, wound with yarn on the member intermeshing with the spaces between the turns of yarn in the adjacent member so that when such members are pressed together in a frame or between guides as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 11 a closed joint is made between the turns B of yarn on one member and the spaces C between the turns of yarn on the adjacent member.

In Fig. the members so placed are shown resting ona backing or foundation D which is constructed from uncured rubber or other sub-- stance having like properties and in Fig. 6 the members have been subjected to pressure in a vulcanizing press thereby causing part of the backing substance to flow through the spaces C and into and along the chanels E and fill same with backing material D as shown in Fig. 6 thereby securely bonding the yarn forming pile in the backing substance. The grooves or recesses E may be made of various shapes and any shape may be selected according to which gives the best results.

In Fig. 7 only one grooved member with a surrounding turn of yarn is shown pressed into the backing so as to show more clearly the yarn strand embedded in the backing and keyed or bonded therein by the backing material D which has been squeezed between two adjacent yarn strands and into the channel during the pressing and vulcanizing operation.

Fig. 8 shows the turn of yarn bonded in the backing after the channel shaped member A had been removed. This removal would be effected by drawing the member A through the loops B in an endwise direction and would result in the production of an uncut pile fabric.

In Fig. 9 the yarn has been cut by running a knife along the centre of the channels E in the manner that is done in the production of ordinary put pile fabrics and afterwards lifting the member A out. 4

Fig. 10 is the same as Fig. 9 but showing a portion of the completed fabric.

In the machine shown diagrammatically in Fig. 11 G indicates a feed table or frame on which the wound channel shaped members A are placed and maintained in position between uide rails H as shown in Fig. 12 and situated below the frame is an endless conveyor belt J which is preferably constructed from stainless steel and is mounted on two drums K, K either or both of which are drivenintermittently or continupusly from any convenient source of power. D indicates the backing which passes between the belt and the channel shaped members A and is conveyed together with such members between a steam heated platen L and a cold platen M which may be kept cold by circulating cold water through it by pipes M g The channel shaped members may be placed on the guide rails at the place marked N and they are fed along such rails towards the platens by a pusher rod 0 which may be driven by any suitable mechanism. As" the members A come near to the platens they travel down inclined ends H of the guide rails H and are deposited on to the backing D and slightly further on they pass between an inclined end M of the platen which presses them down into the backing to an extent that can be regulated by adjusting the platens towards and away from one another. As the backing together with" the channel shaped members travel under the inclined end M soine of the material becomes squeezed through the spaces between the turns of yarn in the manner hereinbefore described thereby sandwiching the pile forming yarns in the backing. Vulcanization subsequently takes place between the platens.

When the fabric has left the platens, portions of the turns of yarn are cut and the channel forming members lifted out by a cutting and lifting mechanism P and the completed fabric issues at Q. R indicates a number of pawls which engage the wound channel shaped members and prevent them springing back after they have been pushed forward by the pusher rod 0. A plate S may be fixed above the tops of the channel shaped members to keep them from lifting when being pushed forward by the pusher rod 0.

What I claimas my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent in the United States is:

1. A process for manufacturing pile fabrics for floor coverings comprising the steps of winding a length of yarn about a channel member having one side formed with a recess therein; pressing the said side of said channel member with said yarn wound there around into a heated base member made of a material which flows under heat so that the material of the base member flows around the yarn extending across said. recess in said side of said channel member, where-- by said yarn is embedded in said. base member; and removing said channel member from said base member and yarn.

2. A process for manufacturing pile fabrics for floor coverings comprising the steps of winding 9. length of yarn about a channel member having a pair of opposite sides with recesses formed therein; pressingone of the said sides of said channel member with said yarn wound therearound into a heated base member made of a material which flows under heat so that thematerial of the base members flows around theyarn extending across the recess in said one side of said channel member; cutting the yarnextending across the recess in the other side of said channel member; and removing said channel. member from said yarn.

3. A process for manufacturing pile fabrics for floor coverings comprising the steps of winding each of a plurality of lengths of yarn about each of a plurality of channel members having a side formed with a recess therein and with aspace provided between the turnsof the yarn about the channel members; locating the said channel members in close proximity to each other i with the yarn of one channel member located in the spaces between the yarn of the adjacent channel members; pressing the saidsides of said channel members with the yarn wound therearound into a heated base member made of a material which flows under heat so that the material of said base member will flow about the yarn extending across the recesses in said sides of said channel members; and removing said channel members from said base member and '4. 'A process for manufacturing pile fabrics for floor covermgs comprising the steps of winding each of a plurality of lengths of yarn about each of a plurality of channel members having a side formed with a recess therein and with a space provided between the turns of the yarn about the channel members; locating the said channel members in close proximity to each other with the yarn of one channel member located in the spaces between the yarn of the adjacent channel members; pressing the said sides of said channel members with theyarn wound therearound into a heated base member made of a material which flows under heat so that the material of said base member will flow about the yarn extending across the recesses in said sides of said channel members; removing said channel members from said base member and yarn; and cutting the ends of said turns of yarn which are located distant from said base member.

5. A process for manufacturing pile fabrics for floor coverings comprising the steps of winding each of a plurality of lengths of yarn about each of a plurality of channel members having a pair of sides formed with recesses therein and with a space provided between the turns of the yarn about the channel members; locating the said channel members in close proximity to each other with the yarn of one channel member located in the spaces between the yarn of the adjacent channel members; pressing one of the said sides of said channel members with the yarn wound therearound into a heated base member made of a material which flows under heat so that the material of said base member will now about the yarn extending across the recesses in said one side of said channel members; cutting the said yarn which extends across the recesses formed in the other of said sides of said channel members; and removing said channel members from said base member and yarn.

6. Apparatus for making pile fabric for floor coverings, comprising in combination, a heat conductive supporting plate means for supporting a base member of the pile fabric; pressure plate means located over said supporting plate means at a predetermined distance therefrom, said pressure plate means having an entrance end and an exit end and said entrance end thereof being inclined toward said supporting plate means; a plurality of channel members adapted to be located on the base member for the pile fabric and each having a side formed with a recess therein for supporting turns of yarn wound on said channel members; and moving means located adjacent to said supporting plate means for moving the base member of the pile fabric and said channel members thereon between said supporting and pressure plate means, said inclined entrance end of said pressure plate means forcing said channel member side with the yarn wound thereon into the base member for the pile fabric, whereby, when said supporting plate means is heated, the yarns wound on said channel members become embedded in the base member while passing between said supporting and pressure plate means.

'7. Apparatus for making pile fabric for floor coverings, comprising in combination, a heat conductive supporting plate means for supporting a base member of the pile fabric; pressure plate means located over said supporting plate means at a predetermined distance therefrom, said pressure plate means having an entrance end and an exit end and said entrance end thereof being in- -clined toward said supporting plate means; a

plurality of channel members adapted to be located on the base member for the pile fabric and each having a pair of sides formed with recesses therein for supporting turns of yarn wound on said channel members; moving means located adjacent'to said supporting plate means for moving the base member of the pile fabric and said channel members thereon between said supporting and pressure'plate means, said inclined entrance end of said pressure plate means forcing one of said channel member sides with the yarn wound thereon into the base member for the pile fabric, whereby, when said supporting plate means is heated, the yarns wound on said channel members become embedded in the base member while passing between said supporting and pressure plate means; and cutting means located adjacent to said exit end of said pressure plate means for cutting the yarn extending across the recess in the other of said sides of said channel members after the base and channel members have moved beyond said supporting and pressure plate means.

8. Apparatus for making pile fabric for floor coverings, comprising in combination, a heat conductive supporting plate means for supporting a base member of the pile fabric; pressure plate means located over said supporting plate means at a predetermined distance therefrom, said pressure plate means having an entrance end and an exit end and said entrance end thereof being inclined toward said supporting plate means; a plurality of channel members adapted to be located on the base member for the pile fabric and each having a side formed with a recess therein for supporting turns of yarn wound on said channel members; moving means located adjacent to said supporting plate means for moving the base member of the pile fabric and said channel members thereon between said supporting andpressure plate means, said inclined entrance end of said pressure plate means forcing said channel member sides with the yarn wound thereon into the base member for the pile fabric, whereby, when said supporting plate means is heated, the yarns wound on said channel members become embedded in the base member while passing between said supporting and pressure plate means; and cooling means operatively connected to said pressure plate means for cooling same.

PERCY SHAW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references areof record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Faris July 5, 1949 

